Apex Legends came out on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2019.  Respawn Entertainment developed Apex Legends and the game was published by Respawn’s parent company EA (Electronic Arts). Respawn was known for the Titanfall series before being tapped by EA for Apex Legends. Respawn Entertainment used a version of the Source engine in the development of Apex Legends. 

Respawn Entertainment’s development engine for Apex Legends

According to Eurogamer, Respawn Entertainment used a highly modified of the Source engine for Apex Legends. This allowed the developer to make a number of tweaks to deliver a large, expansive map with extensive draw distances. The Source engine was developed by Valve in 2004. The same engine was used to develop popular Valve games in the Counter-Strike, Half-Life and Portal series. Other developers used the Source engine to create games like Insurgency and The Stanley Parable.

The mobile version of Apex Legends was developed using the Unreal Engine 4 by LightSpeed Studios who co-developed the Mobile version with Respawn Entertainment. 

Respawn began working on Apex Legends at the end of 2016. The game’s release in 2019 was a surprise to many who assumed that Respawn Entertainment was working on the third game in the Titanfall series. The Apex games are based in the Titanfall universe and include several guns and modified version of other content (like Pathfinder’s grapple) from Titanfall 2. 

Almost two years before the release of Apex Legends, Respawn debuted a playtest on a new Titanfall game mode called ‘Survival’ where pilots and Titans would fight it out battle royale style. By October 2017, the first versions of Gibraltar, Bloodhound, and Wraith were developed and by November 2017, Respawn began playtesting on a map that would eventually be called Kings Canyon with 50 players. The name of the game turned from “Survival” to “Apex Predator”. The game went through a number of other changes before it became the Apex Legends we know and love today. Respawn Entertainment is currently working on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.